Fossils 9-26-13

We had to stop at Kyle's camp site at lunch so I took a chance and paroozed the river's edge for fossils.  I found a few!  Well...I found two.

The fossil on the left (not the penny, as if you needed to read that) is part of a bison tooth and the fossil on the right is part of a head of coral.  So cool.

Oh yeah, while I was trying to scan these I spilled coffee all over my crotch and butt.  I'm at work...ugh.  The things I do for this blog.

Fossil Hunting in Iowa : Bison Teeth Fossils.

A bison tooth fossil in it's natural habitat.

Sometimes people ask me, "How do you find all of those fossils?"  Sometimes it's the fossil that finds you, you just have to be in the right place at the right time and it's obviousness will blind you.  First off, a river bed is always a good place to look for fossils.  The river water cuts  through the earth and moves rock around, exposing objects that have been buried for years.  Also, rivers go through dry periods and wet periods. This getting wet, drying out, getting wet, drying out thing is a very good way to turn bone and teeth into fossils. It allows minerals to turn bone into stone.  Yup.

So, with that being said.  These bison tooth fossils were found on a river bank.  The one in the top photograph (or the bottom of my hand in the other photo) was found on a sandbar (and blinded me with it's obviousness) and the other tooth was found in the river water.  So, my advice? Eyes to your toes, keep looking down and eventually something will find you if you're in the right spot.